from Alfred

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved heaven and earth, that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek to find, and not to yield."

~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~

from Emily

"Hope is the thing with feathers

that perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

and never stops at all."

~ Emily Dickinson ~

Happy National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month! A national celebration of poetry and its place in American culture.

The Academy of American Poets has posted 30 Ways to Celebrate--one way to honor poetry for each day of the month. My favorite is to put a poem in a letter. We hardly send good old-fashioned postal mail anymore. I like the idea of making it even more special by including a bit of verse.

I don't read enough poetry, but when I do, I always enjoy it so much! Here are some my favorite bards:

• Billy Collins (because his poems are about discovery in everyday things and life)
• Elizabeth Barrett Browning (because hers are so beautiful)
• Emily Dickinson (because she is so doggone mysterious...)
• Langston Hughes (because everything he writes has a soul)
• Alfred Lord Tennyson (because "The Lady of Shalott always reminds me of Anne of Green Gables)

What's on my to read list? Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. I bought a beautiful used copy at this wonderful little bookstore near home. I have read snippets of it, but would really like to sit down and read the whole thing through. Whitman's journey through poetry is pretty fascinating. 

from J. D.

"Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them--if you want to. Just as some day, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."

~ J. D. Salinger ~

perfection

This is one of the best similes I've ever read:

Today I pass the time reading

a favorite haiku,

saying the words over and over.

It feels like eating 

the same small, perfect grape

again and again.

I walk through the house reciting it

and leave its letters falling

through the air of every room.

These are the first three stanzas of Billy Collins' poem, "Japan." I read this poem for the first time in college, and still remember that wonderful phrase and how perfect it is. "Japan" is a great poem. You can read the rest of it in Picnic, Lightning or Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems.

I'm not a big poetry reader myself, but Billy Collins is definitely worth reading.